Alex has become one of our best friends in college and is one of the most hard-working, fun, and dedicated people we know. Dawson met Alex through Corsair Society, an organization that supports top undergrads in pursuing a career in consulting. Saanvikha met Alex through Dawson when we were all working on a national fiscal policy challenge spring semester of junior year. Throughout the last year and a half, we have made so many memories (Wine and Spine book club, Monday night cooking, Chess Dawgs). Alex will be working at McKinsey & Company starting this August (and living with Dawson!) and then attend Harvard Law School in 2-3 years since he was accepted into their Junior Deferral Program. We thought Alex could offer some expert advice on his journey from UGA to consulting to, eventually, HLS. So, we couldn’t think of anyone better to write our second guest post! Enjoy!
Going to law school has been my dream since freshman year of high school. Working in consulting was a much newer—yet nearly as intense—ambition that emerged during my sophomore year of college. If you had told me back then that I’d be accepted to both my dream law school and the top consulting firm in the world, I would’ve laughed before asking if you were serious. To some extent, it still doesn’t feel real—but I’m lucky enough that it is.
My name is Alex Womack. I’m graduating from the University of Georgia with a BBA in Economics and a minor in German. You’ll get to know me better through the course of this post, so I’ll save some of the details for later. The highlights: after graduation, I’ll be joining McKinsey & Company before heading to Harvard Law School through their Junior Deferral Program. Outside of academics and career goals, I love music (both playing and listening), exercising, chess, pickleball, and watching Formula 1.
In this post, I’ll walk through my journey to both law school and consulting and share the key takeaways I’ve learned along the way. I’ll start with my path to law school, then discuss how I got into consulting, and finally talk about how these two goals connect to my long-term plans.
Path to Law School
As I mentioned earlier, law school has been my goal since high school. Because of that, I approached college with a clear goal and did everything I could to make it happen. I can only speak definitively about what I did, but here are the key things that worked for me:
1. Focusing on Academics
Unsurprisingly, law schools care about your grades. Law school is, at the end of the day, an academic undertaking, and a rigorous one at that. As such, they place a heavy emphasis on your academic record to see if you’d be able to handle the law school course load. Here’s what I think is most important:
- Take rigorous and interesting courses.
- Build strong relationships with professors (helpful for letters of recommendation and mentorship).
- Study consistently and work hard in class.
You typically only go through college once, so take full advantage of the time to learn and push yourself intellectually.
2. The LSAT
Though some law schools now accept other tests, I took the LSAT and can speak to that specifically. There’s no getting around it—you have to study. The LSAT tests a different style of thinking, and developing those skills takes time. While it does seem difficult to stomach paying for preparation materials, every one point increase in your LSAT score can increase your scholarships or salary outcomes from law school by many multiples of that cost. I studied for longer than most and more sporadically, but at least six months before your actual test date is a good time to start, depending on how much time you can dedicate to studying.
3. Getting Involved
This was probably the most enjoyable part of my experience at UGA, and one that furthered me more than I thought. A lot of people make the assumption that to get into law school, you have to be involved in the stereotypical law school college organizations – Mock Trial, Law Reviews, Model UN, etc. While sometimes these organizations can help solidify (or dispel) interest in law school, it can also be helpful to find other areas that have to do with the type of law you would want to practice. For me, corporate law was the most appealing, so I joined business organizations. For me, having a confirmed interest in law from a more legal-oriented organization, and having a compelling reason to use the law from business organizations allowed me to have a compelling “why law school” in my essays and interview.
4. Useful Resources
I relied heavily on online tools and communities during my application process. A few that stood out:
- PowerScore LSAT Podcast (especially their test prediction episodes)
- 7Sage (great for practice questions and analytics)
- Law School Data (for acceptance statistics and trends)
- Spivey Consulting Podcast (insightful admissions advice)
- Navigating Law School Admissions with Miriam & Kristi (an excellent inside look at the admissions process)
My Journey into Consulting
While I was involved in business organizations at UGA, I was exposed to many career paths I hadn’t previously considered. Consulting immediately caught my attention. The idea of solving complex business problems, working across industries, and working with similar high-performing peers was incredibly appealing.
There are a ton of resources out there for breaking into consulting, but I’ll focus on my favorite part:
The Case Interview
My first case was during an actual interview for a pro-bono consulting group at UGA. Somehow, it worked out and I got in—but I wouldn’t recommend that strategy to anyone. Instead, I’d suggest starting with case books, YouTube walkthroughs, and sites like CaseCoach or PrepLounge to understand the format. Still, nothing beats live practice with a partner. Doing cases with other people teaches you how to think on your feet, explain your reasoning, and structure your thoughts under pressure.
Casing can be intimidating at first, but it’s also a chance to have fun and simulate the kind of work consultants actually do. Preparing too early can lead to burnout, so I recommend timing your preparation so you peak right before interviews.
Why both Consulting and Law?
So, why both? I’m often asked how consulting and law fit together and whether pursuing both makes sense. Right now, my plan is to spend a few years at McKinsey; then, attend law school; and afterward, join a Big Law firm and work specifically in corporate law. My long-term goal is to make partner at a big law firm.
Consulting gives me the opportunity to build strategic thinking, client management skills, and a strong professional network—all of which translate well to legal practice, especially in corporate law. It will also set me up well to understand the industries that I will later serve.
Of course, all of this is subject to change. Depending on how consulting, law school, and life go, I may decide to change my path. For now, though, this combination feels right for me.
Conclusion
Looking back, the two paths—consulting and law—might seem unrelated at first glance, but they’ve converged naturally for me. Law school was a long-held goal that shaped the way I approached college, from my academic focus to my extracurricular involvement. Consulting was a newer interest that offered me a way to explore business problems, develop practical skills, and work with incredible people. The decision to pursue both was to learn as much as possible, challenge myself, and keep as many opportunities open as possible.
If you’re a student thinking about law school, consulting, or both, I hope this post helps. There’s no one-size-fits-all path, but investing in academics, exploring your interests, and staying open to new experiences can take you far. Along the way, make sure to make time for the things that keep you human, whether that’s playing music, going to the gym or for a run, or simply getting enough sleep. Through everything, I’ve learned that, despite ups and downs, hard work and effort can pay off, sometimes in ways you’ve never imagined.
Thanks for reading!
Alex
